Fingerprints can be used to authenticate users for accessing electronic devices, computer-controlled systems, electronic databases or information systems, either used as a stand-alone authentication method or in combination with one or more other authentication methods such as a password authentication method. For example, electronic devices including portable or mobile computing devices, such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, and gaming systems can employ user authentication mechanisms to protect personal data and prevent unauthorized access. In another example, a computer or a computer-controlled device or system for an organization or enterprise should be secured to allow only authorized personnel to access for protecting the information or the use of the device or system for the organization or enterprise. The information stored in portable devices and computer-controlled databases, devices or systems, may be personal in nature, such as personal contacts or phonebook, personal photos, personal health information or other personal information, or confidential information for proprietary use by an organization or enterprise, such as business financial information, employee data, trade secrets and other proprietary information. If the security of the access to the electronic device or system is compromised, these data may be accessed by others, causing loss of privacy of individuals or loss of valuable confidential information. Beyond security of information, securing access to computers and computer-controlled devices or systems also allow safeguard the use of devices or systems that are controlled by computers or computer processors such as computer-controlled automobiles and other systems such as ATMs.
Secured access to a device such as a mobile device or a system such as an electronic database and a computer-controlled system can be achieved in different ways, including, for example, using user passwords. A password, however, may be easily to be spread or obtained and this nature of passwords can reduce the level of the security. Moreover, a user needs to remember a password to use electronic devices or systems, and, if the user forgets the password, the user needs to undertake certain password recovery procedures to get authenticated or otherwise regain the access to the device and such processes may be burdensome to users and have various practical limitations and inconveniences. The personal fingerprint identification can be utilized to achieve the user authentication for enhancing the data security while mitigating certain undesired effects associated with passwords.
Electronic devices or systems, including portable or mobile computing devices, may employ user authentication mechanisms to protect personal or other confidential data and prevent unauthorized access. User authentication on an electronic device or system may be carried out through one or multiple forms of biometric identifiers, which can be used alone or in addition to conventional password authentication methods. One form of biometric identifiers is a person's fingerprint pattern. A fingerprint sensor can be built into an electronic device or an information system to read a user's fingerprint pattern so that the device can only be unlocked by an authorized user of the device through authentication of the authorized user's fingerprint pattern.